3 Ways to Look After Your Van Tyres This Winter

3 Ways to Look After Your Van Tyres This Winter

Whether you love it or hate it, winter is here, and as per usual it’s likely to bring rain, snow and ice. Challenging driving conditions mean that it’s more important than ever to keep your tyres in good condition. Apart from regularly checking the depth of the tyre tread, what else do you need to do to look after your van tyres?

1. Check Your Tyre Pressure

Keeping your van’s tyres inflated to the correct pressure is vital for several reasons:

Safety

When your tyres are under-inflated, your van will not handle as well, so putting yourself and other road users at risk. If they are over-inflated, they may overheat and will be at increased risk of failing.

The Environment

The second reason to keep your tyres inflated to the correct pressure is to protect the environment. If the tyres are under-inflated, your van’s fuel efficiency will be lower, and its CO2 emissions will be higher.

Save yourself some money

Vans with under-inflated tyres have increased rolling resistance and so use more fuel than they need to. Over-inflated tyres are at greater risk of damage and are likely to need replacing more often.

2. Check for Damage

Some common reasons for cuts and tears on your tyres include impact between the tyre and the kerb or driving over potholes or other irregularities on the road surface.

If you spot any damage, get your tyre checked as soon as possible as the tyre will be at increased risk of failing. Kerbing can also cause wheels to get out of alignment and lead to further uneven wear on the tyres. Heavy emergency braking can also result in “flat spots” on the tyre, so if you have had to brake sharply, get your tyres checked soon.

3. Your tyres are your responsibility

New regulations including the Duty of Care and Corporate and Social Responsibility place responsibility squarely on the driver of the vehicle for checking that it is maintained in a safe condition. Keep yourself and other road users as safe as possible this winter by making fortnightly tyre inspections part of your regular van maintenance.